


If You Say So

by InkandOwl



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Domestic, M/M, peer studies gone awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 11:31:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkandOwl/pseuds/InkandOwl
Summary: There’s a gentle knock on the door and Levi twists his hands together nervously, “Carina told me she gave you the file. It’s a little weird.”Nico closes the folder, “Your blood pressure is good, though.”“That’s— thank you.” He takes a seat at the stool across from him. “Is it awkward now?”~OR~Carina Deluca runs a sex study on her coworkers and everyone tries just a little too hard





	If You Say So

“There’s batting around sex advice with your friends over drinks, and then there’s powering through a medical breakdown of how to orgasm from the world’s hottest Italian woman in the coffee line at work.” Jackson looks like he’s conflicted about whether or not any of these things are good things. Andrew only scowls at his lunch. 

“Oh, did Carina tell you about her study?” Nico sorts his skittles out on the table by color. This is his weekly treat to himself. 

Jackson lets his hands thud onto the table and says, “Yes! Are we really funding this?” 

“I’m not funding anything.” Andrew says around a mouthful of pizza. 

He looks to Nico for support, “No funding from me.” He concedes, pairing a green and yellow skittle together. 

The study in question is how to achieve the optimal orgasm and if there is a way to open up human nerve receptors. Or something like that. Nico sort of lost the train of thought after Carina bum-rushed him into the radiology room and asked him if he would be willing to share his experiences with prostate simulation. He wasn’t really interested in being the gay male control subject. “Oh, I have to warn Levi.” He looks up suddenly, muttering to himself. 

Andrew looks sympathetic, “You told her you didn’t want to be the gay male control subject?” 

Nico winces, “Yeah, maybe I should just take one for the team, Levi might pass out if she says the word stimulation at him.” 

“If it makes you feel better, Mer signed up for her study.” Andrew just seems so defeated. 

Jackson and Nico offer up immediate support, “Your sister is totally going to judge you for the way you put it down now.” Jackson says and it makes Nico snort out a laugh, and Andrew steals one of his skittles in retribution. 

“You know, I think I’m going to suggest Maggie for the study. She’s pretty close with Carina and I bet she would love to help out a friend.” Andrew turns his death glare from Jackson to Nico then, “It’s not like Schmitt will say no anyways.” 

“You always take things too far, man.” Jackson holds his hand up incredulously in Andrew’s direction, turning his intense eyes on Nico, “What are we supposed to do now?” 

When his pager goes off, Nico sighs sadly and collects his candy back into the bag, “I guess now I’m going to work.” 

 

#

Carina does, in fact, get Levi roped into her study. 

And Levi does, in fact, hyperventilate about it a little in Nico’s living room when he gets off his shift, “Nico, she asked me how frequently I masturbate.” He’s changed into his glasses after a long shift and dry eyes, and he shoves his fingers up under the frames and groans. 

“You should tell her you’re not comfortable with the study.” Nico is drinking wine out of a coffee mug and he peers over the rim of it. 

Levi collapses into the armchair, “I did, and she told me that it’s because of my repressive American upbringing and that I shouldn’t be ashamed of having a fulfilling sex life.” 

Nico quirks an eyebrow, “A fulfilling sex life?” 

“She said I deserve it.” Levi deflates in his seat, “Also Dr. Grey and Dr. Pierce are doing it and I couldn’t just bail out of a study that two of the greatest doctors in the hospital are participating in.” 

So Andrew did get Maggie involved. Conniving. Nico frowns into his wine, “So what did she ask you?” 

Now it’s his pride on the line in a sort of round about way. Levi toes his shoes off, “She just gave us some preliminary survey today, basic questions like how frequently I orgasm a week— oh, god, this is going into an official medical study.” 

“What did you say?” Nico’s going to breeze right past this meltdown. 

Levi bites his lip, “I dunno, I said once, maybe twice a week. It’s just really spaced out, you know? Cause of our schedules and all that.” He’s trying to pad Nico’s ego here and doing a terrible job. 

Nico puts his mug down on the table and folds his hands across his chest in consideration. This is going into an official medical report. He’s 29 years old and his boyfriend is 25 and they should, by all means, be having excellent and frequent sex, and now the world will know that they aren’t. “Come here.” 

“Am I in trouble?” Levi gets up anyways. 

“No,” Nico reaches out and manages to hook the hem of Levi’s sweatpants, pulling him down into his lap, “I’m fixing this shitty number you had to put on a sex survey. I’m gonna make you come five times tonight and throw your average way off.” 

Levi laughs against his mouth, “Oh I see, this is a game to you.” He lifts his arms up so that Nico can pull his shirt off. 

“A game I’m going to win.” Nico growls, making Levi laugh harder, and he smiles against Levi’s skin when he dumps him onto the couch and kisses his way down his chest. 

 

#

 

Nico only managed two orgasms out of his boyfriend last night, but it was enough to make him very cuddly and soft today. He keeps his cheek pressed to Nico’s chest in the coffee line and turns a dreamy look up at him to say, “I love you.” 

Nico kisses the top of Levi’s nose and gets an ‘awww’ from Casey behind them. 

“I’ll see you for lunch?” Nico lets Levi hug him a couple more times before he leaves for surgery. 

Levi hums, “I’m in the pit so I shouldn’t be held up.” 

“Sounds good, see you then.” He kisses Levi and heads towards ortho, feeling impossibly light. Someone’s hip will probably explode, or they’ll fracture every single one of their ribs, just to offset the good mood. 

The elevator doors are sliding closed when a pink clad leg weasels its way inside and they slide right back open. Carina Deluca holds up her coffee cup and carefully tells Nico, “I was trying to keep up with you so I wouldn’t have to take the stairs. Long legs.” She looks down at his legs appreciatively. 

Nico smiles warmly at her, “Sorry about that, I have terrible situational awareness. Just yell next time.” He jokes. 

“Oh,” She takes a sip of her coffee and shoots him a coy look, “And I don’t suppose you were at all distracted by Schmitt practically worshipping you in the coffee line?” 

Nico nearly chokes and he hopes the crappy overhead lighting in the elevator washes out any blush that might be happening, “We just had the morning off together, he was just—”

“Schmitt has a physical touch love language, even if he doesn’t know it, and he’s prone to touch starvation. Intimacy and affection are how he shows love, it’s all over his psychological profile.” Carina has her serious teacher face on now and she touches her finger to her lip as she ponders out loud, “I would bet he prefers sexual positions that require the most skin to skin contact.” She looks Nico up and down then shakes her head, “No, don’t tell me, you’ll throw an outside influence in the study and it won’t be authentic.”  
The elevator dings and Carina breezes out of it while Nico is quietly telling her, “I wasn’t going to.”

Is physical touch really Levi’s love language? Nico doesn’t think he’s ever thought about his love language. He knows he loves comics, and he loves reading, and he loves Nico. Those are the things that Nico is sure about, and he’d been pretty certain up until that moment that they were all perfectly acceptable as is. 

He shuffles himself to the nurses station in a daze and Link flops him on the head with a file when he sees him and rambles off something about the Seahawks game. Nico just looks at him slightly panicked, “I’ve been starving my boyfriend.” 

“What?” Link looks around him for a moment, “I’m pretty sure I saw him eat an entire carton of blueberries yesterday, he seems okay—”

“No, no,” Nico runs his hands over his face, “I’ve been touch starving him. Carina said he needs physical intimacy and we finally had a night off together and it makes so much sense. We got to have like, long drawn out sex, not just a quicky and he was so— docile this morning.” 

Link presses his lips together seriously and nods, “Carina got Schmitt in her sex study, huh?” 

“Starving him!” 

“Jesus, Kim, he’s fine. Just, I don’t know, allot some time to make love or whatever. Light some candles, take a bath together. You know, Avery was near tears this morning because Carina read him the sex riot act, I think this study is a bad idea.” Link lifts the file, “We got a scoliosis procedure today, lets focus on spines and shit we actually know.” 

He shakes his head and Nico takes a deep breath. Bones are so easy. They break, they go back together, sometimes they get some hardware attached, easy peasy lemon squeazy. Things like nerves and receptors that get set off by human emotions and _environmental factors_ are complicated and Nico finds himself stressed just thinking about it. 

#

Nico doesn’t have an actual night off with Levi again for three days. Aside from a quick fumble in an on call room, they’ve barely gotten more than ten words in that weren’t text messages to each other. 

So he is of course thrilled when he gets to lay back against his pillows while Levi rides him. Nico watches the way he keeps his bottom lip caught between his teeth, eyes pressed shut like he’s trying terribly hard to restrain himself, and Nico runs his hands up Levi’s thighs, “You alright, baby?” 

He runs his hands up the joint of Levi’s hips and over his stomach and Levi gasps— quiet and nearly imperceptible, and Carina’s words on the elevator come rushing back to him. That Levi would prefer sexual positions that involve the most skin to skin contact. Levi puts his hands to Nico’s chest and rocks his hips back, “I’m alright, is this good for you?” 

This is excellent for Nico, because they’re together and Levi is warm and beautiful and making sweet little noises. But he can feel this way in any position. “I wanna try something, tell me if you like it.” Nico sits up, gently pulling Levi out of his lap and guiding him onto the bed. He moves Levi onto his side and curls up behind him, lining himself up and pushing back inside. 

Like this, his entire body is pushed up against the length of Levi’s back and he wraps his arms tight around Levi’s chest, kissing his shoulder. It’s incredibly close and Nico can press deep inside of him with every roll of his hips, and Levi practically seizes up in his arms, “Nico, I’m—” He doesn’t finish his thought, hands gripping Nico’s arm desperately and he moans. 

Nico grins, ducking his head to press his lips to Levi’s spine. 

He ends up pushing Levi’s leg up with his own, practically draping himself over Levi. It’s getting just slightly too hot in the room, and Levi is definitely disappearing into the mattress, but Nico’s name keeps falling off his lips in fragmented syllables and he’s nearly sobbing with pleasure. Nico ends up coming hard enough that his vision whites out on the edges. 

He pulls out of Levi slowly, thankful for the cool air on his deeply sated body, but it’s short lived. Levi rolls right over and drapes himself over Nico’s chest. Nico laughs quietly as Levi mumbles against his skin, “Baby, let me get up and get us a towel.” He swipes his hand over Levi’s sweaty back. 

Levi actually looks sad when he moves away, pulling the sheets up against his chest, “Okay, wait, hold on—!” He pulls at Nico’s shoulders until he can kiss him, “Okay.” 

Nico hums against his lips and rolls off the bed. 

He feels like he’s awakened something in Levi. Or maybe Carina has. Or maybe it was Levi himself. Either way, sex with Levi has always been great, but sex where Levi gets to use his entire body, clinging to Nico’s arm around his chest like a lifeline? He’s pretty sure Levi’s love language might by physical affection, but his own is definitely feeling needed. He’s practically high with the way Levi said his name. 

And the look in Levi’s eyes when he was coming down from his orgasm? Nico’s ego is becoming a monster. 

Nico doesn’t turn the bathroom light on, just fumbles around in the dark so he doesn’t blind himself and shuffles back out to the bedroom to collapse onto the mattress with a muffled, “Oof.”  
“Nico?” Levi’s voice is tired and Nico turns his face to the side in the pillow so he can see him, “That was my favorite, let’s do that every time.” 

Nico laughs and pulls Levi against his side, running his hand over Levi’s chest, “Every time all the time.” Levi sighs dreamily and curls up against Nico’s chest, hands pressed to his skin for the rest of the night. 

#

Nico yawns behind his surgical mask, but Grey notices anyways, “You know, I should run a sleep study, congruent to Carina’s.” She points a scalpel at him and winks. “You guys are lightweights.” 

Nico would hardly call himself a lightweight when he’s been pulling double duty in the bedroom for the past two weeks, “I’m trying to win, here.” He clips the rod into the side of their patients’ leg and carefully marks off where he’s going to screw it in. 

Grey laughs, “Jackson told me the same thing yesterday, and Andrew is starting to treat our relationship like a fantasy football league. You know, Schmitt knows you’re going above and beyond for your own ego.” 

She says it so nonchalant, but it makes Nico freeze, “Did he say that?” 

“I’m not allowed to talk about the other subjects’ interviews.” Grey smiles at him wide enough that her eyes crinkle up over her mask. “It should be released to the public soon though.” 

Nico groans. 

# 

It’s a Sunday when Levi shrugs his sweater off and lets out an exhausted sigh, “I would like to not be on intern time anymore.” 

Nico gets up off the couch and wraps his arms tightly around him, bending down to kiss him, and Levi pushes lightly at his chest. “What’s wrong?” 

Levi glances up at him, dark circles under his eyes, “The study ended yesterday.” 

“Okay, so I’m not allowed to touch you anymore?” It’s a little snappier than Nico intends for it to be, but Grey’s teasing definitely got to him in surgery last week. 

Levi narrows his eyes at him, “No, it means I’m tired and I’m not really interested in being bent over a table right now.” 

So their past few sexual encounters had become a little adventurous, and Nico _may_ have worn Levi out a bit, but it still wounds him, “I thought you liked it.” 

Levi closes his eyes, brows knitted together in a frown, “I did— I do, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that, it’s been a long day, I should’ve just said I didn’t want to have sex.” When he opens his eyes, he looks near tears, “I think I just need to sleep.” 

“Okay.” Nico lets him go because the last thing he wants to do is over step any sort of boundary when Levi is giving him a pretty solid ‘No’ here. 

He sits on the couch. Gets up. Sits down. Paces around his apartment and then finally knocks on the bedroom door, pushing it open, “Can we talk?” Nico considers himself a pretty smart guy. He got through med school after all, and he does great at trivia nights down at Joe’s, but sometimes emotional intelligence falls a little short with him. 

Not because he doesn’t _feel_ things— but because it’s easier not to sometimes. Or it’s easier to just hope that everything is okay until someone starts yelling. “I’m not going to yell at you.” Levi says and Nico realizes he’s mumbling. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

He does look exhausted, curled up in a ratty old shirt and pajama pants that are too long, frayed on the bottoms where they drag under his feet, “I’m sorry if I’m pushing. Grey said it’s my ego.” Nico lays down next to him, head turned towards him on the pillow. 

“I’m not really supposed to talk about the other subjects in the study, but she locked Deluca out of the bedroom.” Levi raises his eyebrows seriously, “I think she likes her space.” 

Nico laughs, “And what about you? I should be leaving you alone right now probably.” 

Levi shakes his head, “No, no, I was being a dick. I don’t know what got into me.” He takes one of Nico’s hands and kisses it, “It was really stressful, having to put all of this stuff out there to a stranger. Carina went on and on about how I shouldn’t be ashamed of sex, and I’m not, I just— I think I prefer it when it’s just something for us.” 

“Me too.” Nico smiles softly at him, “Let’s just forget about the study—” He leans in close enough to tap his nose against Levi’s “I know how to make you come.” 

Levi colors spectacularly and then he laughs, “So well.” He finally kisses Nico then, soft and sweet, “I did figure out that I need to start working out though. My thighs are so sore, I don’t think walking up and down your stairs is enough exercise. Oh! I was on the surgery for that treadmill accident today, speaking of exercise.” 

“I saw the charts for that one on my way out the door, how was it?” Nico always pokes through the charts before he goes, so that he can pry into the interesting ones when he comes in next. 

“It. Was. Bonkers.” Levi rolls onto his side, “It last seven hours, none of us were prepared. Dr. Webber made us listen to this jazz odyssey for the entire thing. You haven’t lived until you’ve pulled strips of nylon out of someone’s liver to the pan flute.” 

“Oh, jesus.” Nico laughs, “Hunt’s got terrible taste in music too. It’s a good thing the patients are out for it or their bodies would probably fail having to hear it.” 

It feels so nice to hear Levi laugh, his nose scrunching up with the action, “Country music?” 

Nico puts on his twangiest southern accent when he sings about a red solo cup and tears collect in the corner of Levi’s eyes with the laughter. He’s hardly even awake anymore, but Levi’s entire body has relaxed into the mattress, all of the tension leaving him. Nico kisses him quickly on the cheekbone then rolls over, grabbing Levi’s arm and wrapping it around his waist, “You’re gonna be the big spoon tonight.” 

There’s no room for argument and Levi breathes out contentedly against his back, rubbing his nose against the top of Nico’s spine. 

#

Nico wakes up to a gentle dip in the bed and he stretches, back cracking in the process. He slept great and he opens his eyes to Levi trying to work the sheets back over his lap, “You’re up early.” He tells him. 

Levi holds up a mug, “I made you coffee.” 

It’s early enough still that the light in the room is pale and grey, and Nico pushes himself upright, “Oh no, this is too sweet.” He takes the mug and Levi frowns. 

“You haven’t even tried it yet, I didn’t put any sugar.” 

Nico takes a sip and laughs, “The coffee is perfect, this—” He gestures to the mug and then Levi, “Is too sweet. A handsome guy bringing me coffee? High school me could’ve never imagined.” 

Levi bites his bottom lip and smile, preening a little at the compliment, “I don’t think high school me would believe anyone besides my mom would ever call me handsome. She just said it with such gusto though.” He puts his hands to his chest and then leans over to get his own coffee off of the nightstand, “We have to go into work for another eighty thousand years so I wanted to have coffee in bed with you. Last night was nice.” 

Nico quirks an eyebrow, “The part where I nearly chased you off with my dick?”

Levi chokes on his coffee, “I love your dick.”

“Hah! Excellent.” Nico rubs at his eyes with the back of his hand. 

There’s some general fussing from Levi where he tries to regain some composure, and Nico tries his very best not to tease him, “What I _mean_ is that it was nice to spend time with you last night, just talking. It probably doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I feel like I’ve missed you. Just us hanging out.” 

It’s a very Levi thing to say, and it spreads, warm and easy in Nico’s chest. He’s always felt like he’s understood his boyfriend, but this past month he’s been overthinking him entirely. “I like hanging out too.” 

Levi grips his mug with two hands and grins happily, “I think you’re my best friend.” 

“You think?” Nico tilts his head and smile. 

“I know.” He perks up. 

#

Carina shows up in the lab and drops a folder in front of Nico, “Schmitt gave me permission to release it.” She taps the top of it and winks at him, breezing back out the door. She’s like the specter of Grey-Sloan Memorial. 

A part of Nico thinks he should just give the folder back to her. The results of the study don’t matter in the end. He doesn’t want to think he did all this work for nothing though and he looks up to make sure the lab is clear before opening the folder. Levi’s picture is clipped to the top of the first page— his identification picture he took when he first started, that always makes Nico laugh. He looks entirely startled by the camera, in a white undershirt. It’s like a Florida Man mugshot. 

The first page is boring— things like blood type and age. All the things that come with a physical. The second page is the preliminary survey and he leafs through all of the pages that talk about brain waves and nerve endings, all the way to Carina’s final report. 

_L. Schmitt is the most receptive to his sexual desires when experienced with an intense emotional bond. When he is feeling depleted of an emotional and mental connection, he tends to shut off the physical side of him._

She goes onto to talk about the best circumstances for sexual stimulation— physical affection paired with a strong bond. 

Carina would never write love in an official report, but Nico reads over the first line and grins. They might not be the most interesting people to put onto a sex report— there’s no casual sex, or bondage, or ‘multiple points of stimulation’, as Carina had once explained to him. Even Nico with previous partners had tried some pretty interesting things in bed. But Levi wants to be in love. 

There’s a gentle knock on the door and Levi twists his hands together nervously, “Carina told me she gave you the file. It’s a little weird.” 

Nico closes the folder, “Your blood pressure is good, though.” 

“That’s— thank you.” He takes a seat at the stool across from him. “Is it awkward now?” 

“It basically says what I figured out on my own during this whole study.” 

Levi takes a deep breath, “So did you win?” 

He’s talking about the stupid game that he got involved with, with Andrew and Jackson and Nico hums thoughtfully, “I think that’s obvious. I get to have sex with my best friend, and it’s just that much better, isn’t it?” 

Levi practically lights up, like it’s only just sunk in for him too that that’s what he’s constantly craving, “Yeah, it is.” 

“And I get to live with my best friend, and have breakfast with him, and argue about arcade games, and be in love with him all the time.” Nico slides the file back over to Levi.

He looks Nico over, a little awestruck and says, “You need to stop being so perfect.” 

Nico holds his hands up in surrender, “I’m not, remember that shower thing I got you to try last week?” 

“Oh,” Levi splutters and waves his hands, “god, yes okay, you’re not perfect.” 

Nico reaches across the table and squeezes his hand, “Want to scrub in on an osteotomy?”

“Yes!” Levi slides from his stool and Follows Nico to the door, stopping to lean up on his toes and kiss him, “We don’t have to stop trying all the different sex things though.” He winks and hip checks Nico on the way out.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyyo this was supposed to just be smut but here we are! Having best friend feelings.


End file.
